For the last two weeks, I have been trying to share with you a recipe for Pumpkin Loaf. Seemed easy — yet, it took three attempts to pull it off.

The first loaf, I just used my perfect Banana Bread recipe and doctored it up a bit, replacing the banana with pumpkin and adding pumpkin pie spice for flavor. While edible, and we certainly had no trouble polishing it off, it wasn’t quite right. Wrong texture, and the spice you would expect from pumpkin pie was not prominent enough.

The second version, I simplified the process so much that I ended up with a dense, yet weirdly moist and gummy loaf — we did not eat that one.

So, on to the third iteration. Thankfully it was perfect! I learned a few things too. For instance, canned pumpkin has a kind of strange texture, so add some applesauce to compensate, throw in a bunch of nuts and seeds to make it interesting, use cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and ground cloves instead of store-bought pumpkin pie spice, and finally throw a dusting of sugar on top just before popping it into the oven, for a nice sweet crisp crust.

This is probably a silly question, but just to make sure, the ingredients list includes 2 Tbsp. sugar for dusting, but it is not mentioned in the instructions. Should we use this with the currants and seeds to top the loaf prior to baking, or do you intend for us to dust the loaf with this sugar immediately after removing it from the oven?? I can’t wait to try your recipe!!

Lol, I’m not really trying to be an editor, or be over compulsive, but I also noticed that ‘cup’ is missing from your currants and pumpkin seeds measurements toward the end of the ingredient list, while I was gathering my ingredients…. Do you want to be advised of such obvious omissions? ; ) Also, as I am baking near Denver, CO, I would be happy to share if there are any recipe changes necessitated by the high altitude… if anyone is interested . I started cooking here about the same time that the Denver Broncos started playing football, really (1959-1960!), & have had to rethink/rebuild many of my techniques to accommodate gluten free baking in this high and dry environment!! (not unlike the Broncos, several times, lol)

Abby,
Thanks for being my editor! I had kids to proofread in the past, now both are off in University — so it’s up to me. I had better spend a bit more time over the details huh? I would love any feedback in regards to your high and dry environment. Happy baking!

Pam, I have not forgotten, in fact I made a loaf that very evening of my last post, but true to Muphy’s Law, things went awry. I did, however, glean enough information from my issues to bake a wonderful loaf last night. My first problem was that I had some difficulty finding your Artisan blend locally, & I did not want to my first feedback for this recipe to be based on the wrong ingredients. That being said, the first change I made was to the dry ingredients. I sifted together your flour (1-1/2 cups, 180 g.), plus 1/3 cup (38 g.) almond flour, 1/2 tsp. glucomannan ( in addition to the guar gum in your blend), the salt, leavening ( same amounts! ), 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon, rounded 1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. dried ginger and 1/8 tsp. ground cloves. I set this blend aside. Next I combined the eggs with a reduced amount of sugar, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar plus 1/3 cup mixed white/coconut sugars, and whipped them together with an electric mixer on med-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and almost meringue-like. Then I reduced the speed to ‘stir-low’ to add the liquid/butter ingredients, using 3/4 c. applesauce and pumpkin, 2 tsp. vanilla, with NO change to the amount of butter, often done to compensate for the extra oil in the almond flour. Finally, I used the mixer to stir the dry flour blend into the wet mixture until it was almost fully combined, adding 1/3 cup, each, Zante currants and lightly toasted pumpkin seeds at the end, until uniformly distributed. Once the batter was in the papered/oiled, 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, I tapped it on the counter to remove any air bubbles & set it aside, uncovered (covered is o.k., too), for 30 minutes at room temperature in order for the batter to become evenly hydrated. I did not apply the toppings this time, but used turbinado sugar on the first one as I like the large crystals. Meanwhile I preheated my oven to 375ºF (350°F at sea level, I am in Denver!), which takes at least 20 minutes to be accurate. I baked the loaf for 45 minutes, rotating it after 15 minutes, & checking frequently with a toothpick at the end, to prevent drying, which is already an issue here! Oh, my, it rose just beautifully ( I took pics but have no idea how to post them, lol). It tasted wonderful last night, and even better today, as is classic with all those warm spices. It is not gummy or dry, not even now, 24 hours after it was baked, & it slices just perfectly. Thank you so much for supplying this wonderful recipe to us! Yum!!! And I would be more than happy to help edit any of your recipes should you need an extra set of eyes. My own boys are long out of my home, too, lol. Keep up the good work!!!

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About Pamela

I spend a lot of time thinking about food. That means tons of dreaming, planning, shopping, and creating in the kitchen. If you don't have the time to think about dinner, don't worry I have you covered. I have been working on it all day.